When you think of famous faces, you might not immediately picture them shivering in the dark, but these 10 celebrities who have brushed shoulders with the supernatural prove that fame doesn’t shield you from a good old‑fashioned ghost story. From haunted apartments to phantom whispers, each tale is as chilling as it is unforgettable.
10 Celebrities Who Faced the Supernatural
10 Fairuza Balk
Fairuza Balk has long been linked to the occult world, starring as Dorothy Gale in the eerie 1985 sequel Return to Oz and later conjuring a witch in The Craft. Though she practices Wicca, she steers clear of dark magic. On the TV series Celebrity Ghost Stories, she recounts a night in a rented house when she awoke to footsteps outside her bedroom. Assuming they belonged to her companion, she soon realized the hallway was empty.
Together they crept down to the kitchen, only to see pots and pans flailing wildly and a sinister, smoke‑like coil forming in the air. The apparition terrified her, despite her witchy background.
When they confronted the house’s owners, they learned a murderous couple had once lived there, casting a lingering shadow over the property.
9 Joan Rivers
The legendary Joan Rivers, famed for her razor‑sharp humor and ever‑changing looks, once toured a rundown New York apartment in the 1980s while renovating it after becoming widowed. She entered the unfinished space at night to inspect it, only to find her dog refusing to step inside.
Suddenly the temperature dropped dramatically, and she noticed strange writings plastered across the walls. An elevator operator suggested the presence of a particular specter, Mrs. Spencer, supposedly the niece of J.P. Morgan. Joan, intrigued, began leaving flowers for the unseen resident and claimed they developed a strange, ongoing friendship.
Her eerie encounter showcases that even the most fearless comedians can be unnerved by a lingering ghost.
8 Joan Collins
Actress and author Joan Collins, now 84, has lived a prolific life that includes a UK Top‑10 hit in 1963. Despite her seasoned skepticism, she found herself terrified during a dinner party when a mischievous poltergeist made its presence known.
The spirit first traced a body outline on the floor using almonds, then hurled a knife and a massive urn across the room, narrowly missing guests. A butler explained the chaos as the vengeance of a woman murdered by her husband in that very room, who wanted to keep others away. He pointed to a portrait of the victim that had hung there for years.
Joan’s reaction proves that even a seasoned star can be rattled by a truly malevolent apparition.
7 Jerry Stiller
Veteran comic Jerry Stiller, father of Ben Stiller, has entertained audiences since the 1960s. Though his career may have been eclipsed by his son’s, his personal life held a poignant supernatural moment.
After learning of his father’s death, Jerry longed for a final word of approval. One midnight, a mysterious force opened his bedroom door, materializing into the shape of his late father. The apparition whispered, “You did good, Jerry,” before vanishing forever.
This fleeting encounter offered Jerry the closure he had yearned for, delivered by a ghostly paternal figure.
6 Oprah Winfrey
Media mogul Oprah Winfrey, whose career has turned everything she touches to gold, once shared a hair‑raising off‑air ghost story during a taping of her show. While hosting fellow actress Akosua Busia in her Chicago home, Oprah awoke to see a translucent figure drift from the guest room into her bedroom.
She rose, prayed silently, and watched the shape glide through her space before exiting another wall. The next morning, Akosua confessed she’d spent a sleepless night wrestling a ghost, which apparently chose to haunt Oprah’s bedroom instead.
Oprah’s chilling encounter reminds us that even the most powerful personalities can’t escape a midnight visitor.
5 Emma Stone
Red‑haired Oscar winner Emma Stone, who first dazzled audiences in Superbad, admits to a quirky yet eerie supernatural experience. During a 2014 interview with David Letterman, she revealed that her late grandfather—whom she never met—appears to her as a phantom, leaving small gifts of quarters.
Emma, a firm believer in the paranormal, finds the spectral generosity both adorable and unnerving, treating the ghostly quarters as a loving, after‑life gesture.
This light‑hearted haunting shows that even Hollywood’s brightest stars can have delightfully strange encounters.
4 Kendrick Lamar
When acclaimed rapper and activist Kendrick Lamar was visited by the ghost of the legendary Tupac Shakur, the experience sparked a powerful musical tribute. The apparition appeared in the middle of the night, urging Kendrick to keep his music alive.
Inspired, Kendrick incorporated the encounter into his song “Mortal Man,” sampling an interview with Tupac and weaving the spectral message into the track’s narrative.
3 Keanu Reeves
Beloved actor Keanu Reeves, whose life has been marked by personal tragedies, experienced a bizarre childhood haunting. At around seven years old, while staying in a new New York apartment with his nanny, both witnessed a disembodied jacket glide across a doorway before vanishing into thin air.
This uncanny sight added another layer to Keanu’s already poignant life story, underscoring that even the most stoic souls can encounter the inexplicable.
2 Lady Gaga
Pop icon Lady Gaga, known for her role in American Horror Story, has long battled a persistent phantom named Ryan. The ghost allegedly followed her throughout her 2010 world tour, prompting her to hold a séance in an attempt to banish the unwelcome visitor.
Recent reports suggest Gaga escalated her efforts, acquiring professional ghost‑hunting equipment and hiring real‑life paranormal investigators to finally rid herself of the lingering specter.
1 Laura Linney
Acclaimed actress Laura Linney, a Julliard graduate with a versatile career across stage, screen, and song, encountered a spectral audience member during a rehearsal at New York’s historic Belasco Theatre.
She spotted a blonde woman in a blue dress perched on the otherwise inaccessible upper balcony, silently watching the dress rehearsal. Later research revealed the figure was likely the ghost of a chorus girl who died in the theater and now appears at every rehearsal for eternity.
While the phantom never leaves a review, her presence adds a haunting charm to the theater’s storied past.